Like Brother, Like Brother
by peacepoetrypotter
Summary: Now retired from hunting, Dean, Cas, and Sam settle down in a quiet town, where a nice bartender named Gabe piques Sam's interest. [rated T for now, until things heat up a bit more]
1. Chapter 1

The bartender slides another beer over to Sam.

"Cute," he says, tipping his head towards Dean, where Sam's eyes have been wandering for the past fifteen minutes. Sam snaps out of his minor daze.

"What? No," he says defensively. "That's my brother."

The bartender nods with a chuckle, unconvinced.

"He's here with his new boyfriend," Sam points at Cas, who sits across the booth from Dean.

"Still don't buy it," the bartender teases, leaving to fill someone else's order, and Sam bites his lip. By the time he returns to Sam, though, Dean's tongue is down Cas' throat, and the bartender rescinds his comment.

"And you're here…why, then?"

"Nothing better to do, I guess."

Sam gulps down nearly half his glass.

"Date cancelled?"

"Didn't have one…" Sam mutters, and the bartender looks at him sceptically.

"I'd say I didn't believe you, but I don't have the best track record, do I?"

Sam laughs, raising his glass back up to his lips.

"No, you don't."

Sam puts his glass down to see a hand extended towards him.

"Gabe," says the bartender, and Sam takes his hand and shakes it gently.

"Sam."

"So, Sam, you really don't have anything better to do tonight than spy on your brother?"

"Not unless you're offering."

"Shift ends at midnight," Gabe says, and goes to fill another order. Sam bites his lip, feeling his cheeks flush. The wall clock reads quarter till. He slides off the barstool and walks over to Dean's booth, clearing his throat as he approaches.

"We don't have any plans tomorrow, do we?" he inquires, and Dean pulls away from Cas, giving Sam a nearly hateful look.

"I do," Dean says chidingly. "Cas does. And if you could avoid interrupting-"

"That's all I needed to know, thanks," Sam says sarcastically, and slowly walks back to the bar.

"Don't tell me you're one of those guys who needs permission to miss curfew?" teases Gabe, pouring some girl's drink. He nods at her as she slides him a ten across the bar.

"I'm just checking…we- the three of us do odd jobs. I wanted to make sure I won't chance being late for anything."

"Okay, Cinderella."

Sam chuckles.

"You're not THAT charming."


	2. Chapter 2

"Soo?" Dean croons as Sam shuts the hotel room door behind himself, eyebrows raised in inquiry. Sam scoffs, nearly growling at him.

"What?" Dean says defensively.

"I'm renting another room, asap," Sam says flatly.

"What did I-" Dean gripes. "Oh…"

"No," Sam says declaratively. "I'd just like to cancel my subscription to 'Baby Brother Digest', okay?"

"Sammy!" Dean feigns surprise, and Cas emerges from the loo.

"If it makes a difference, you're both babies to me," he groans, stretching. Sam laughs at Dean's involuntary shift of focus to the man's uncovered abdomen.

"You have an unfair advantage, you ass," Dean tells Cas.

"My advantage is my ass," Cas shoots back.

"And yet you act surprised that I might not want to share a room with you two," Sam grumbles teasingly.

"You're leaving?" Cas asks forcefully.

"To a different room, not a different state."

"You never told me about last night," Dean growls, and Sam fails to keep a straight face.

"It was fine," he contests, grabbing at his bag on the floor.

"You gotta give me some more than fine!"

"Really fine, then," Sam replies, flinging the bag over his shoulder and reaching for the door.

"Oh, come on!" Dean cries as Sam leaves. "At least give me an idea where he stands in terms of everybody else you've slept with!"

Sam stops in his tracks and turns back.

"I didn't sleep with him."

"You what?"

"We had some pancakes and coffee, okay? No big deal."

"Well that's a bit boring, don't you think?" Dean pushes teasingly, the reticence in Sam's eyes sparkling through his pupils.

"I'm not gay, Dean," Sam tries to say matter-of-factly, but Dean quickly retorts with the fact that he isn't gay either, and informs his brother that bisexual men do in fact exist. Sam rolls his eyes, but Dean's point is far from lost on him, and they both are acutely aware of it. Sam's gentle discomfort is more a demon in the room than an elephant, really, and Dean knows he can't push much harder without pushing Sam away, so he smiles and pats Sam on the back, reminding him to keep in touch.

Sam turns, reassuring Dean that he wouldn't dare lose contact with them. His cell rings and he excitedly yanks it from his jacket pocket; Dean laughs to himself, because they both know who it is before Sam so much as looks at the screen. Sam tries not to let his smile grow, but to no avail, and as he answers he bites his lip and bids adieu to his brother and to Cas, who has sprawled out on the hotel room couch.

Dean remembers how reticent he'd been to admit his feelings for Cas; he could do little more than hope that Sam wouldn't put himself through any similar ordeal. It was a desperate, helpless feeling which he despised, but as his brother saunters away down the corridor, he allows himself to be distracted by the man collapsed on the couch in his shirt - Cas continued to insist on wearing one of Dean's old tees, which fit exactly neither of them, simply for that fact. It clung tightly to Cas's shoulders and rode up to expose his stomach whenever he attempted to do absolutely anything.

Despite having splurged on very nice clothes for his man, Dean couldn't bring himself to be angry with Cas's choice of attire. As gorgeous as Cas was in a suit or fitted tee, he was a million times yummier in, well…nothing, which was what he always ended up wearing whenever he picked that damned shirt.


End file.
